Common Personal Injury Cases and How to Avoid These Injuries

However, increasing awareness of some of the most common types of personal injury cases and discussing ways to help avoid them may save you from future wounds and headaches. We’ll begin by discussing car accidents which tend to be some of the most common personal injury cases.

Car Accidents

You don’t need to know the statistics to know that car accidents are common and result in a wide variety of life-changing injuries. The billboards you see as you drive down the highway give that away. 

As you’re likely also aware, there are many different types of car accidents. From the notorious hit-and-run to the ones where a car is left completely flipped, each is caused by a number of different factors and are all dangerous. Avoiding them is obviously recommended.

Discussing how to avoid them gets a bit tricky though. Most car accidents involve at least two parties and it’s impossible to avoid every driver that makes potentially dangerous mistakes. Instead of focusing on the second party we’ll discuss what you can do to avoid making these mistakes yourself or possibly even avoid an accident altogether.

• The main way to avoid an accident is to pay attention to your surroundings. 
• Stay off of your phone and avoid getting into conversations with passengers that may be distracting. 
• Check all of your mirrors and your speedometer often and keep your eyes on the road as much as possible. 

You may be able to identify a dangerous driver or situation before it directly affects you which will give you time to plan your next defensive move to prevent an accident. This may mean slowing down over a pothole or changing lanes away from a driver who appears to be distracted or upset. While paying attention can’t stop all accidents, it will save you from many.

Dog Bites

Everyone loves dogs which makes it heartbreaking to learn that there are 4.5 million dog bites every year. Dog bites often lead to tragic consequences for both the dog and the owner and are likely to leave the victim with injuries that require attention from a medical professional.

It’s important to remember that dogs are descended from wolves. While they may be far from this origin now, we’ve since replaced it by creating dogs designed for specific purposes or jobs. 

Many were bred for specific traits that aided humans such as hunting rodents or herding sheep. Some were even bred as guard dogs. They are usually designed to hunt or fight when necessary, even the small ones. 

• The first step in avoiding dog bites is to acknowledge this and not underestimate any dog’s ability to cause harm should they deem it necessary.
• The next step is to avoid dogs you don’t know. They may become naturally defensive around strangers and a sudden approach may cause them to become aggressive. 
• If a dog is being walked and you wish to approach, ask the owner for permission. They may accept and you have a positive experience but they may also decline for your safety or some other reason. 
• If a dog is alone, only approach if their body language is not aggressive and if you need to. For example, if a dog with a collar and tag is roaming around alone and they are not demonstrating fearful or defensive body language, a slow approach may be okay so you can contact the owner. 

Be extra careful around injured or ill dogs as they may become aggressive quickly due to their weakened state.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Accidents

We’ve already discussed car accidents, but it’s important to separate those from pedestrian and bicycle accidents. They tend to result in more serious injuries as the pedestrian/cyclist doesn't have the same protection as a driver does. 

Drivers have access to seatbelts and even the car itself can act as a protective barrier. A bike does not provide these same protections and neither does clothing. For drivers, paying attention and always giving a pedestrian the right of way can help prevent an accident from occurring.

As a pedestrian, make sure that you pay close attention. The actions of one driver can put your life at risk even if the vehicle that caused the problem is nowhere near you. Being aware and able to act quickly can save your life in times when a vehicle driver loses control of their car or is unattentive.

Bicyclists need to pay attention, follow the rules of the road and always wear a helmet. We won’t discuss paying attention any further, but following the other rules of the road is just as important. For example, always stop at a red light. 

You may be on a fast bike but the wrong movement could put you in danger. Cars take longer to slow down and stop than a bike. The larger the vehicle, the slower the stop is. Always stop at a red light and wait for it to turn green before proceeding, even on a bicycle.

Slip and Fall Accidents

There are a lot of causes for slip-and-fall accidents, from wet floors to uneven flooring. These accidents can range from being majorly embarrassing to deadly based on a large number of factors. There are many precautions that many locations take to avoid such accidents from wet floor signs to placing unmoving carpets on otherwise slippery floors.

Even if these measures are lacking or are unavailable in certain locations you can still potentially prevent yourself from slipping. Once again, paying attention is key, but there are other things to do as well. For example, avoid wearing slippery shoes or shoes that don’t fit correctly in public. 

Slippery shoes are self-explanatory, but shoes that don't fit are a hazard because they are too small, may hurt your feet or require constant adjustment. If you wear heels, be careful of how you walk in them, where you walk and the integrity of the heel. No one wants to fall because the heel of their shoe got caught in an uneven and cracked sidewalk.

There are a wide variety of personal injury cases and ways to avoid being involved in each one. The main takeaway from this article is to pay attention to your surroundings at all times and be ready to act in case something outside of your control puts you in danger.